January 21, 2013

Physics department adds spring dates to popular K-State Olathe series

Kansas State University Olathe and the physics department at K-State are partnering to continue the Physics Lecture Series for high school students across Johnson County and the Kansas City Metro area. The series will be held on the Olathe campus.

The free lecture series provides students an opportunity to learn from university and industry experts about topics in physics including cutting-edge physics, lasers, the theory of the universe, dark matter and energy, nanoparticles and more.

At the first presentation on Jan. 23, professor Bharat Ratra will present “The Expanding Universe: Dark Matter, Energy and Acceleration.” Ratra will explore with students how the universe is expanding and accelerating, and why cosmologists believe that dark energy and dark matter are by far the biggest contributors to the energy budget of the universe at the present time.

Additional presentations will be held Feb. 6 with associate professor Glenn Horton-Smith and April 3 with associate professor Eleanor Sayre. All lectures will be from 4-5 p.m. in the Forum Hall at K-State’s Olathe campus, 22201 W. Innovation Drive. All education backgrounds and levels are welcome and encouraged to attend. There will be time at the end of each presentation for student and or audience questions.

“Connecting students with opportunities in physics provides them with an understanding of the careers and topics in STEM fields that they might not be exposed to is a huge benefit that we can provide by leveraging our resources on the main campus,” said Micheal Strohschein, Director of K-12 Programs at K-State Olathe. “This lecture series is another one of the many opportunities that K-State Olathe is providing to students in our coverage area.”